How Do Consumers' Food Values across Countries Lead to Changes in the Strategy of Food Supply-Chain Management?

The Intrinsic and Instrumental Values of Blockchain to Provide Beef Traceability in Hong Kong, South Korea, and the United States

Although previous research has identified that consumers are willing to pay for traceability, it remains unknown which types of traceability information might have the highest value, and whether consumers have an intrinsic value for blockchain technology above and beyond the instrumental value of providing traceability. A choice experiment was conducted with over 1500 consumers in Hong Kong, South Korea, and the U.S. In all three countries, consumers were willing to pay premiums for beef with traceability related to all parts of the supply chain, country of origin, and temperature history; however, the preference ordering of beef from different countries varied across Hong Kong, South Korea, and the U.S. The intrinsic value of using blockchain to deliver traceability information differed by country and by attribute, and consumers in the U.S. were most sensitive to the information describing blockchain technology. Even when traceability conveys negative information, such as temperature rising above safe levels for a short period, we find that consumers prefer knowing to not knowing, suggesting uncertainty and ambiguity aversion.

Comparing consumer preferences for sustainable dairy activities among countries

This study measures consumer preferences for 11 sustainable dairy activities and examines the differences in preferences among five countries: the UK, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Japan. A case 1 best-worst scaling is used to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer application, soil management, water management, biodiversity, working environment, animal care, wastes, market development, rural communities, and product safety and quality. Consumers across countries have diverse preferences for sustainable dairy farming activities, which may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social attention toward the environment and agriculture. Preferential differences for some activities were also revealed by gender and age. When discussing the priorities of some activities, conflicts between gender and generations could arise. Information on consumer preference can help various stakeholders discuss how to improve the sustainability of the dairy sector.